Frame of pianofortes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. PIEFAUT, OF NEXV ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

FRAME OF PIANOFORTES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,559, dated. January 25, 1853.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. PIFFAUT, of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleansand State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pianofortes; and I do hereby declare the following to bea. full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying' drawings, marked, respectively, Nos. l, 2, 3, 4,and 5, and of which- No. l represents a top view of the frame, No. 2represents a view from the underside, No. 3 represents a section throughthe red lines of Nos. l and 2. No. 4 represents an enlarged view of themovable part of .the frame, and No. 5 the same in outline and thn partsdetached.

Similar letters and numerals in the several drawings denote the sameparts.

The nature of my invention consists in so constructing the metallicframes of pianoiortes, as that the inside frame or that which supportsthe long bridge of the piano, may be raised or lowered at pleasure, andthus raise or lower the tone of the instrument, and at the same timekeep up the general accord of the piano.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

The frame is made entirely of iron or other metal, and may be cast inone piece, and of such form and size as may be found essential. Themovable or adjustable part A, which supports what is termed the straightor long bridge;7 of the piano is connected to the frame as seen in thedrawing Nos. 3 and t, where a, represents the bridge, and o, c, c, thepins to which the strings or wires are attached. In the rear end of thismovable part A, is a screw N, which has a square stem X, for receiving asimilarly shaped pod on the key X, which is designed for turning it. Itis evident that by running down the screw N, the rear end of the part A,will be drawn down, while the Jfront part which carries the bridge willrise in a corresponding` degree, thus raising the tone ot the piano,which may be lowered again at pleasure by a reversed operation.

To raise or lower the tone of an instrument, and still preserve itsaccord, it is well known that, the coarser strings will require morestraining than the finer ones, so that as this operation is a constantlyvarying one, which no rigid or nonadjustable apparatus could providefor, some allowance must be made for it. For this purpose I arrangebesides the center screw N, one on each side of it and near the ends ofthe frame (O, 13,) which are similarly connected to the main frame, inall respects as that at N. These screws are provided respectively withcurved levers N', O', P', to which they are permanently fixed, so thatby the turning of one the other will move with it. These levers areconnected together by connecting bars R, R, which are attached by screwbolts passing through slots in the levers, in which they are madeadjustable, so as to make the coarser strings when the tone of theinstrument is to be raised undergo a greater degree of tension, than theiner ones, which may be done by increasing the length of the lever bymeans of its slot, (and vice versa) and thus preserve the accord. Byturning the screw N, motion is given through the levers and connectingbars, to the screws O, I), and consequently all three actsimultaneiusly, vand with that degree for which they may be set.

B, represents a dial or indicator, upon which a hand on the screw P,marks the degree to which the instrument is raised or lowered.

C, represents pieces of wood with which the metallic movable part A, maybe filled, so as to better hold the pins c, 0 c which extend into them.

F, represents the crooked bridge which is fixed to the trame, in theordinary well known manner. The number of ribs g may be increased ordiminished, or so arranged as best to support or counteract the strainupon the wires.

The movable part A, has two motions independent of the frame-viz: onehorizontal, or so that, while the bridges cannot appro-ach each othernearer than a given point, they may be moved or recede one from theother-the other motion is in the arc of a circle upward for straining upthe wires. I have described the long bridge only as being adjustable-theother may be made so, but this I consider as fully embodied in theprinciple which I claim.

Having thus fully deseribed my invention What I Claim therein as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is- In combination with the metallicframe of 5 a pianoforte, the movable part Which supports the bridge, andwhich is raised or lowered at pleasure by means of a key operatingthrough the screws and levers, or their equivalents, for the purpose ofraising or lowering 'the tone of the instrument, and at 10 the same timepreserving its accord, substantially as described.

J. PIFFAUT.

1Witnesses Q. A. DE SEMLES, A. B. STOUGi-ITON.

